Spring hat

[Kershaw]

Can someone post a picture of an IX spring hat?

I think I may be running a RWD hat. I have never bothered to double check it (why would I, it came with the car) and I can't eliminate this binding. I added a second washer, because it was rubbing, but now it feels better. But it's still weird. There's a lot of resistance initially, and then it's smooth. Before it would bind up on each of the cross shaped dimples.

[audiquattrot]

i'll take a pic tonight. i have a new one off the car.

[Kershaw]

OK thanks. It's just weird. I have this 3 degree arc of easy wheel play and then it gets stiff. So it's not terribly noticeable on the highway, but around town it's terrible. It's not returning to center either. That could partly be 0" of toe in, but it's not even trying. Around long sweepers, I still have that 3 degree arc of easy play, with the wheel turned 45 degrees.

Something's binding and I can't figure out where.

[stonea]

Can't really help, but congrats on recently getting 10k posts!

[Kershaw]

Haha, thanks. Maybe 1 in 10 posts is actually contributing. My most successful thread is This is Hot Chicks. Lol.

[Northern]

https://www.ecstuning.com/b-genuine-bmw-parts/spring-pocket/31331701051/

something something all they're good for

[2002tiiguy]

if your strut is binding, just order two of them, i had the same issue, turns out my spring perch was collapsed. they arent a lot of money and you will see the difference once you get the new one

[2002tiiguy]

also, i dont think the rwd spring hat will even fit on the ix, remember, the strut mounts in a rwd car are flipped

[Kershaw]

https://www.ecstuning.com/b-genuine-...t/31331701051/


something something all they're good for

Well, I think I have the right part then. I don't remember holes in them like these. https://www.ecstuning.com/BMW-E30-32..._2.5L/ES50526/

if your strut is binding, just order two of them, i had the same issue, turns out my spring perch was collapsed. they arent a lot of money and you will see the difference once you get the new one

The spring perch is collapsed? The perch is the strut itself and mine still seem like pretty solid metal. The top too though. How does the perch collapse? You mean break right off?

[2002tiiguy]

lol lemme see if i still have my old one

[2002tiiguy]

the bottom of the strut mount was sliding on the spring perch, dunno how this one got so bad, got the car that way.

[Kershaw]

No, mine are completely solid.

I jacked the front up, popped the strut mount nuts off so the strut could drop down a bit and the strut mounts rotate freely. So I think struts have been cleared.

This leaves other things to consider, the rack, u joint, and steering guibo. I have a replacement u joint already in my stash of parts, so I'm going to take a look at the guibo and then replace both.

Could the steering rack fail in such a way that it doesn't leak but it doesn't return to center?

I need to fix this or the drive from MD to Vintage is going to be annoying as hell.

[2002tiiguy]

idk if this helps, but i do know if my car is in the air, and the wheel is unlocked, i can turn the wheels side to side fairly easily and it is smooth, if you do need a rack, rackdoctor got me mine, although they said my old one was no good as a core.

[nando]

how are the bearings on your strut mounts? are you missing the dust washers or dust caps?

[Kershaw]

Strut mounts are about a year old. I have the dust cover on and the washer in between. I added an extra washer on last Sunday because with a single washer I could see the rust lines from where the strut mount and spring hat were grinding. Now that there is an extra washer in there, they rotate freely. But that still didn't change the hard steering feel/return to center. They are all in the order that realoem lists, even if that's the RWD diagram.

Oddly enough though, when I unbolted my passenger side strut mount it dropped straight down and it was easy to push into the center of the strut housing and spin the strut mount. The drivers side didn't want to drop as far and it really felt like it was fighting me to get it in the center of the strut housing and I couldn't spin the strut mount, although the 90* I could turn it was very smooth. I do remember a time when the steering was just fine though and I haven't hit anything. So I'm sure it's not a tweaked chassis. And the strut can't be twisted or tweaked or the shock wouldn't have dropped straight into it.

I wonder if rack doctor will take 2 cores for $200 each. A rack from them is $500.